The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 113 Going East
The carriage was moving along when it reached the roadside and slowly retreated, because a troop of soldiers was transporting provisions there.

Looking out the carriage window, Fusu saw a long line of carts laden with grain, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Inside Xianyang City, Zhang Cang was flipping through scrolls of documents, inspecting the granaries of various counties.

Cheng Miao sat under the eaves of the Prime Minister's residence. It was the height of summer, and the place was unusually cool, so he wanted to take a short rest.

Not long after, more officials walked out of the Prime Minister's residence.

Cheng Miao, with his eyes closed, overheard the conversation between Feng Quji and Wang Ben beside him.

It is said that the counties are actually short of grain this year, and since the summer harvest has not yet begun, all counties are waiting for a bumper harvest this year.

Just before the summer harvest, Zhang Cang used these files to gather information from various sources, piecing them together, and it seemed that the granaries in each county were almost empty.

Zhang Cangleng collected 30,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) from more than 30 counties in Guanzhong.

Zhang Cang also ordered the construction of grain supplies and military camps along the way.

If the army is marching, it means that it can eat as soon as it arrives at its destination, rather than having to set up camp there.

Although the first two months will be tiring, the rest of the journey will be much easier.

This is more comprehensive than when the first emperor made his western tour.

Feng Quji and Wang Ben held Zhang Cang in high regard.

“I have read all the documents sent down in the past two years. The young master often writes about things in great detail. The people below say that they have never seen anyone write documents so meticulously before.”

As he spoke, Feng Quji smiled again and said, "There are still some county officials who have complained. Some of the things you asked me to do are indeed difficult to handle."

Wang Ben pressed further, "Which county official said that? What's wrong?"

Feng Quji sighed, "I can't even remember the trivial matters anymore."

In Xianyang, Prime Minister Li Si mostly focused on national affairs, while Feng Quji often coordinated matters in the various counties of Guanzhong.

Lately, the atmosphere at the Prime Minister's residence has been rather strange.

For example, recently everyone has been hoping for news: whether Grand Commandant Meng is really going to retire, and who will be the next Grand Commandant.

Recently, there have been several thunderstorms in Guanzhong. Most of these rains were fast and heavy, and the thunder was very loud.

This year's sweltering heat and frequent thunderstorms seem to be a welcome from the heavens for the First Emperor, who is about to travel to Mount Tai.

As for whether the thunder is good or bad, that's a matter of hearsay.

Afternoon had passed, and with Prince Fusu not at the Prime Minister's residence, Cheng Miao had nothing to do, so he decided to rest for half a day.

Just a moment later, thunder rumbled in the sky.

Cheng Miao stood up and was about to walk back to the Prime Minister's residence when he saw someone walking quickly towards him and saying a few words to Wang Ben.

The rain was very heavy for a moment, and it was unclear what the man and Wang Ben were saying.

Cheng Miao looked back again and saw Wang Ben following someone into the rain. He didn't look like a palace eunuch.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Zhang Cang finished his work and breathed a sigh of relief. He then instructed the clerk beside him, "There are still thirty shi of grain here. Send them to Luoyang."

After everyone left, Cheng Miao sat down and discovered that Zhang Cang had written quite a few characters.

Cheng Miao said, "I just saw Wang Ben go out with someone."

Zhang Cang didn't reply, but continued to work on the next thing.

When the rain stopped, news arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. The messenger, still soaking wet, loudly proclaimed that the First Emperor had appointed Wang Ben as Grand Commandant.

Then came news that Prince Fusu had been appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

Zhang Cang felt that this appointment was not unexpected at all; it was only a matter of time.

It would be best if these matters could be properly arranged before the Fengshan ceremony.

Even if there are many thunderstorms, they will only last for half a month. If there is no rain in the latter half of July, August will be a bumper harvest.

When Fusu returned to Gaoquan Palace, he also learned of this appointment.

Wang Tang'er had been reading books here recently, and when she saw that it was the young master returning, she happily went to greet him.

The couple walked back into the palace hand in hand, and Fusu asked, "What would you like to eat tonight?"

Wang Tang'er smiled and said, "I want to eat fish."

Today, the young master cooked the meal himself. Tian An was also very happy because the young master is now ranked among the Nine Ministers. He wiped the table in front of the Empress Dowager Huayang's memorial tablet again and again.

Wang Tang'er turned to look at the library behind her and said, "I've never seen so many books before, even in Pinyang."

Fusu flipped the fish he was frying over again and asked, "Aren't there any books at home?"

"Yes, they are all military treatises."

At this point, Wang Tang'er said in a low voice, "Actually, Grandpa doesn't read those military books much. He likes to collect military books but doesn't like to read them."

As she spoke, she sat down to the side and said, "Everyone says that Grandpa was a great military commander, but he never thought he was that great. Especially during the attack on Zhao, he made all the arrangements for his own affairs before he passed away."

Fusu was simmering fish soup and frying mutton on another stove.

The couple's meals were actually very simple: a bowl of vegetables and a bowl of fish soup. They also had a lot of rice left over from the Takasen-no-miya restaurant, so they cooked rice for them.

After the meal, Grandma Wang coaxed the young master Heng to rest first.

Fusu explained the knowledge in the books to his wife. Many of the books here were notes he had made when he was a child reading various classics, along with his personal understanding. There was also a lot of advanced knowledge in them.

She often encounters novel concepts that she doesn't understand, such as the various means of production.

For example, even Gongzi Gao couldn't understand the books here, so he could only memorize them by rote.

"They all say that Father Emperor is going to perform the Fengshan ceremony."

Hearing his wife's words, Fusu nodded, "Mm."

"Was it those Shandong doctors who didn't try to dissuade them?"

"No, after the Fengshan ceremony, the Prime Minister might kill those scholars from Qi and Lu."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tang'er stopped eating and even stopped chewing.

Fusu wanted to say to her, "My wife... this world is very cruel. Everyone in the Qin court has their own interests, including her husband, Prince Fusu of Qin."

Fusu whispered, "Don't be afraid."

Wang Tang'er's expression turned serious. She felt that she still had a lot to learn to be a good wife to the young master, and the first thing she needed to learn was to face reality more clearly.

In the future, I will be able to say, just like you, who has been killed or who is about to die with a casual remark.

Wang Tang'er knew that she married the young master for the sake of her family.

After the meal, Wang Tang'er sat in the back hall reading a book, with a jujube tree about half a person's height beside her.

Granny Wang arrived carrying a basket of cloth. She asked, "Madam, is something on your mind?"

Wang Tang'er was in a bit of a daze, and she couldn't concentrate on the book in front of her.

Her mother-in-law immediately noticed that she was preoccupied.

Wang Tang'er said, "How can I be a good wife to the young master?" Granny Wang sighed, "Madam, what are your thoughts?"

“I think the young master has a lot of things to do. Will the young master be in charge of this country in the future? And what kind of wife should I be in the future?”

Grandma Wang asked, "What does Madam think?"

Wang Tang'er put down the book in her hand and said again, "I want to be a clear-headed wife."

Grandma Wang saw confusion and bewilderment in her eyes, as well as her difficulties, and felt a pang of sympathy.

Prince Fusu is still very young, but he is shrewd and calculating. Such a person will not be swayed by emotions when faced with interests, or perhaps he is simply a person with a detached personality.

But normally, the young master treats this lady very well, exceptionally well.

This was something that Granny Wang had noticed.

The young master never hides anything from his wife.

Grandma Wang didn't know what to do either, so she could only sit down and gently comfort her mistress.

In the summer of the 28th year of the First Emperor's reign, during the summer harvest season in Guanzhong, all the counties were harvesting wheat.

An official residence was built outside Xianyang City, where Zhang Cang and Prince Fusu prepared provisions.

The county magistrates from various counties were standing in a line outside the official residence, each reporting on the situation in their respective counties.

Fusu, Zhang Cang, Cheng Miao, and a group of officials sat in the official residence, feeling somewhat tired after listening to reports all day.

Cheng Miao glanced at the door and replied, "Young Master, there's one last one."

Fusu nodded, signaling for the person to come in.

The last magistrate was none other than Sima Xin, the magistrate of Huayin County.

When I saw Sima Xin again, he hadn't changed much; he was still just as thin.

Sima Xin said, "Reporting to the young master, the tax of 15,000 shi of land in Huayin County can be prepared within half a month."

After speaking, he handed over a scroll of bamboo slips.

Cheng Miao took the bamboo slips and placed them in front of Zhang Cang. Zhang Cang opened them and looked at them; they were the accounts of Huayin County.

Fusu nodded and said, "The grain from each county does not need to be transported to Xianyang. In a few days, someone from the Prime Minister's office will go to Huayin County to collect the land tax and then transport it to Luoyang."

Upon hearing this, Sima Xin noticed that Zhang Cang whispered two sentences to Cheng Miao.

After hearing Zhang Cang's supplement, Cheng Miao asked, "It's the flood season, what's the state of the Wei River?"

Fusu was still writing as he sat at the head of the table. Ever since he took over his father-in-law's position and became the new Shaofu Ling of the Great Qin, he had been faced with a mountain of documents and official business as soon as he sat down in this position.

These are all matters that Wang Ben had not dealt with for many years, including land taxes from several counties in the Central Plains that have not yet been paid, and the acreage of land in various places that has not been clearly investigated.

In conclusion, during Wang Ben's tenure as Shaofu Ling, many things were handled in a very perfunctory manner.

And in his ear was Sima Xin's report.

According to Zhang Cang's plan, another portion of the grain was transported out of Guanzhong by waterway, and after reaching Luoyang, it was sent south.

A month after the summer harvest, in early September in Guanzhong, one could see cartloads of grain being transported eastward along the imperial roads.

There were also boats loaded with grain, taking advantage of the rising river levels during the flood season to sail eastward.

After the newly appointed Grand Commandant Wang Ben deployed his troops in the northern suburbs of Xianyang, the First Emperor's itinerary to Mount Tai was finally set.

At the rear of the First Emperor's procession, Tian An stood beside the carriage, his wife holding their sleeping child.

Grandma Wang waited by, serving the lady of the house while also being a highly skilled doctor.

This was Tian An's assessment; he felt that Granny Wang's medical skills were better than those of the imperial physicians.

Grandma Wang would say that she only knows about illnesses in women and children, and she couldn't be sure about other illnesses.

Fusu gave a few more instructions, then went to the front and stood with many ministers.

"I heard that the magistrates of various counties are complaining that they will eventually die from overwork, just like the magistrate of Huayin County."

The speaker was Feng Jie, the Minister of Justice, who was also one of the Nine Ministers.

Standing behind the Prime Minister and Wang Ben, Fusu, one of the Nine Ministers, replied, "Isn't Sima Xin living a good life?"

Feng Jie whispered, "Young master, I've never heard of a county magistrate in Guanzhong possibly working himself to death."

Fusu advised, "Minister of Justice, everyone in the Prime Minister's residence has been busy with the transportation of grain. The county magistrates are exhausted, but aren't we in the Prime Minister's residence exhausted too?"

In the end, we're all just working for others. If we all contribute our share when we encounter difficulties, the matter will pass. But if we're talking about which family has the most complaints, Fusu would like to ask the Minister of Justice to take action and resolve the issue with the family that has the most complaints.

Before he could finish speaking, the PhDs who were supposed to accompany him on the trip to Mount Tai arrived, their faces filled with reluctance.

Fusu felt that the Court of Justice could be made even more severe in its penal system, and that he could eventually bring down all the scholars from Shandong and Shandong.

The number of scholars who were to accompany the First Emperor to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony was not large; Fusu counted about seventy people, and the leader was Chunyu Yue.

More and more officials were subsequently required to accompany the First Emperor to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony.

This time, the First Emperor's trip to Mount Tai was a grand affair with a large number of people, and he ordered his Right Chancellor, Feng Quji, to remain in Xianyang.

Fusu asked, "Can the Court of Justice help me deal with some people?"

Feng Jie replied, "Whom does the young master wish to deal with?"

“Those complaining magistrates.”

“Young master, they were just complaining. No one has been punished for their words in recent years.”

It's no wonder that the nobles of the six states who opposed Qin still had supporters; Qin law was too lenient on freedom of speech.

Fusu then discussed matters of criminal law with the Court of Justice, such as how to deal with those who incited nobles in various regions to rebel against Qin. In the spirit of prevention, Fusu felt that if such incitement became too widespread, even if no army had been raised or no criminals had been apprehended, charges should be established first, and a net should be cast to arrest them later.

Feng Jie was greatly shocked by the young master's suggestion, but he did not agree immediately.

Before long, the First Emperor arrived at the northern suburbs, escorted by Li Si and Wang Ben.

Ying Zheng, dressed in a black robe, looked at the large group of civil and military officials standing in front of the Lin Guang Palace in the northern suburbs. The escorting troops numbered nearly 50,000, and the long line stretched as far as the eye could see.

The First Emperor began the sacrificial rites before heading to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony. The blood of the animals was scattered all over the ground, and scrolls of silk were thrown into the hall and burned.

Fusu noticed the movements of the Qilu scholars behind him. They saw that it was the First Emperor's sacrificial ceremony. One of the Qilu scholars was about to step forward, but Chunyu Yue pressed him down with a look.

They felt that the rituals performed by the First Emperor were not those of the Zhou emperor.

Fusu looked back at the high platform. After his father's sacrificial ceremony ended, the escorting team turned eastward in unison.

Ying Zheng strode forward, his eyes filled with determination and majesty.

Li Si exchanged a few more words with Feng Quji, and then looked at Wang Ben.

Wang Ben rode his horse beside the First Emperor's carriage and asked a few questions in a low voice.

The procession was so long that Fusu had no idea what his father, the emperor, and Wang Ben were saying in the carriage at the front.

With a military order given, the massive army slowly set off, heading eastward.

(End of this chapter)